Wheel Talk

Ryan and Becca go into a candid conversation about money and financial planning as individuals & small business owners. Topics covered include: our thought process when spending/saving money, debt, budgeting, retirement, how to pay yourself as a small business owner, and some other general topics related to money. It was a bit scattered, but talking about money with tact is necessary among our...

Ryan & Becca chat with another good friend in clay, Heidi Fahrenbacher from Bella Joy Pottery. She graciously shares some great insights about slip casting, wholesale, stressful art shows, pricing your work, a viral Instagram post, mental health, small business finances, & things to be happy about. We also wrap up with a new "What would you do if?" segment. Thanks so much to Heid...

Ryan and Becca go deep into a couple listener questions about the ins and outs of opening/running a brick & mortar business. Lots of variables factor into your decision making: location, store hours, must haves for the space to get it open, what offerings you want (classes, retail gallery, paint your own pottery, etc), how to structure classes, marketing the business, and more. Thanks for list...

Ryan and Becca try out a new segment on this episode called "What would you do if?" before moving on to the today's topic. Afterwards, they discuss multiple facets of having others help you in your studio/business. Questions answered relate to: when you should consider getting help, where to find help, what tasks are best to get help with, how to hire the right person, how to pay th...

Ryan & Becca sit down for a much anticipated conversation with Leigh Anne Thompson, owner of Elan Pottery & Elan Transfers. She's sharing all the things with us: balancing multiple revenue streams, fulfilling large quantities of orders, managing a team, scaling her business over the years, reclaiming clay, social media personas, renaissance faire life, and some personal stories as wel...

Ryan and Becca answer more art show questions our listeners submitted through Instagram! This is part two of two, and we mostly cover our booth setups over the years, progressing throughout the show itself, selling tactics, and a few random questions to close it out. Thanks for all the good questions about art shows and I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll cover this topic. Good...

Ryan was recently a guest on a podcast "How to Build a Business with Chandler Lyles." We talk about how Ryan started his business, running his business on Etsy, and looking forward to his challenges this year. Listen to this conversation at the links below: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/002-how-to-build-an-etsy-shop-on-the-side-w-ryan-durbin/id1522862963?i=1000507...

Ryan and Becca answer a ton of art show questions our listeners submitted through Instagram! This is part one of two, but these mostly cover topics related to finding the right shows for you in your area, preparing for your scheduled art shows, and a few random questions. We'll be back next week to answer the last of your art show questions. Recent Workshop Becca Recommends: Danny Meisinger -...

Ryan & Becca sit down with Lindsey M. Dillon and Donte from Earth Nation Ceramics who co-host The Mud Peddlers Podcast to chat about podcasting, social media, selling our work, and some rapid questions at the end. We're so happy to share some time among fellow clay artists in familiar & different positions to ours to glean great insights and entertaining banter. We hope you enjoy! ---...

So...we don't know what happened. Ryan & Becca start out discussing how innovation/creativity and maintenance factor into running a small business. Then they go off on a tangent about getting art degrees in ceramics and it's shortcomings. We had a fun conversation nonetheless, with some good discussion about our college experiences related to our art curriculum & it's shortc...

Ryan & Becca go very deep into all the facets of packing and shipping your work for online sales. Topics range from materials for wrapping your work, space filling materials, boxes, labels, shipping services, and costs involved throughout. We've broken a number of pieces in the past so we share some do's and don't on the packing front. Enjoy and let's help you improve your...

Great Scott!! Ryan and Becca get together one more time to answer a series of your social media questions. We cover a number of topics, including: differences between Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest, selling on various online platforms, using social media to grow an audience, and what to focus on to help your growth long-term. We thank you for all of your great questions. Keep sending us more...

Ryan & Becca discuss tips to improve your production process. Becca's years of throwing production style work and recent position working in a production studio provide a lot of suggestions for today. Efficient production involves many factors and we cover a number of them, including hand positions, water usage, steps you may be able to skip, wheel speed, and more. Listener Questions On t...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about determining what forms to make for your customer base as you hit your stride selling. Also, how do you get past the insecurity about making too much of something that may not sell? Can you even make too much of something? Listener Questions On this episode: - If Ryan was a full time potter, how many pots could he throw in a month? - How much will R...

Ryan & Becca discuss the always challenging topic of pricing. There is no right way that works for everyone, but we can guide you with some things to consider as you go about pricing your body of work. Whether you take a more mathematical approach by listing out costs to produce vs calculating based on the supply & demand of your target market. We also address the questions: where do you s...

Ryan & Becca are back for another question and answer episode with clay, small business, & personal questions. You all provided most of these questions via Instagram and we appreciate it! Enjoy, have some laughs, and get to know us a little more. Listener Questions Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram...

Becca joins Ryan for part two of answering more of your questions about social media. We cover a number of topics, including: the algorithm, hashtags, social media and mental health, post frequency, time commitments, Instagram Stories, and Instagram Reels. We thank you for all of your great questions. Keep sending us more for future discussions, social media related, process, small business, or ot...

Ryan & Becca start the show off with a new clay podcast recommendation for you: The Mud Peddlers, hosted by Lindsey M. Dillon & Donte from Earth Nation Ceramics. Check them out and spread the love for our fellow clay podcasters. On today's episode, Ryan & Becca look back at 2020 goals and results, with real numbers. Afterwards, they look ahead to 2021 and discuss some changes that...

Becca is officially a Hoosier after her move across the country from Monroe, Washington to Indianapolis, Indiana! We welcome her back, discuss some funny stories from her trip, and get back into the swing of things. The topic for today involves how you decide what boundaries to set when sharing through social media, including finances, personal life, or other areas you may wish to keep more privat...

Ryan goes solo on this episode while Becca is getting adjusted after her move to Indianapolis, Indiana. He talks all about running his small business on Instagram, including how he manages his own account and answering a number of your questions along the way. Today, we cover getting sales from Instagram, how Ryan built his following over time, benefits of using Instagram stories, product photogra...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about the differences between an artist and potter. Isn't this one of the hardest questions to answer when a customer asks you whether you call yourself an artist or potter? We both relate more to the potter or craftsperson label, but can also see the appeal of calling yourself an artist as well. It differs person to person based on the work you mak...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about whether to sell second quality pieces alongside your firsts. As you make more pieces, you are guaranteed to produce pots that have flaws and cannot be sold as a ‘first’ quality piece. You are now staring at pots piling up on your studio shelves that you have to decide whether it’s something you are comfortable with customers using on a daily basis...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about how to set goals for the New Year. We both include yearly financial goals, but figuring out how to set goals outside of sales numbers can be tougher depending on where you want to take your business. We review some of our past years' goals and some ideas for you to consider when planning for your own business goals. Thanks for the question Sar...

Ryan & Becca answer a number of listener questions related to glazing this week. There's an endless amount to know about this complex part of the process so we hope you enjoy the questions, learn something, and enjoy the banter. Thanks for all your questions you've sent to us recently and let us know if you have more for us (glazing or otherwise). Glazing Questions: - Mixing or buyin...

Ryan & Becca go through a wide range of electric kilns on the market to buy new and used. We start by reviewing the kilns we've each owned over the years before jumping into what's available now. There are so many options out there right now and we dive right into the specifics of a number of them (Skutt, L&L, Olympic, Amaco, & Cone Art) and how much you could pay for them ne...